The Water Tower

John Knight · Post by **John Knight** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:13 pm

I am still curious about the work on the Water Tower.
(see previous: viewtopic.php?t=1082&highlight=water+tower)

Is the scaffolding still around the top of the tower?
What was the work required?
If the steel tanks have been removed, how was this done?

Anybody at CH with the answers?
Thanks
John.

blondie95 · Post by **blondie95** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:46 pm

the scaffold has been down for a couple of months now. Im not sure what they were doing, dad said it was some protective work and they also cleaned it and now it is quite dazzling, when the sun goes down it really makes it shine!

J.R. · Post by **J.R.** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:01 pm

Amy is absolutey right about the sun shine.

If you drive up the 23, towards Horsham just before Broadbridge Heath roundabout and after the C.H. roundabout, the water tower stands high above the hedges and if the sun is in the correct position, it stands out like a beacon.

John Knight · Post by **John Knight** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:31 pm

Thanks for the reply Amy....
I was waiting to see if anybody could tell me if they had removed the steel tanks from inside the tower. It seems to me that the scaffolding was up a very long time.
JR - Good to hear that the tower stands out like a beacon. I have fond memories of the school and the water tower in particular.

Katharine · Post by **Katharine** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:51 pm

John Knight wrote:I have fond memories of the school and the water tower in particular.

What an intriguing sentence. May I ask why?

John Knight · Post by **John Knight** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:20 pm

Katharine wrote:
John Knight wrote:I have fond memories of the school and the water tower in particular.
What an intriguing sentence. May I ask why?

I climbed up to the top a couple of times... highly illegal thing to do, as you might expect.
Very scary, in the middle of the night, climbing up past the huge steel tanks with the sound of water pouring all around you.
I had a 'master key' that I made in the 'Manual School'. - When we had a Barnes B reunion a couple of years ago I posted it through the Head Master's letter box. I had kept it for about fifty years and thought I would return it to the school to atone my sins.
I hope the cleaning of the tower has not erased the message that I left at the top. (can't remember what I wrote now, but it sure would not have been my name!)

John (with 100 posts up)

Katharine · Post by **Katharine** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:03 pm

Thanks, John. This forum is open to all who wich to confess!!!

blondie95 · Post by **blondie95** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:07 pm

John Knight wrote:
Katharine wrote:
John Knight wrote:I have fond memories of the school and the water tower in particular.
What an intriguing sentence. May I ask why?
I climbed up to the top a couple of times... highly illegal thing to do, as you might expect.
Very scary, in the middle of the night, climbing up past the huge steel tanks with the sound of water pouring all around you.
I had a 'master key' that I made in the 'Manual School'. - When we had a Barnes B reunion a couple of years ago I posted it through the Head Master's letter box. I had kept it for about fifty years and thought I would return it to the school to atone my sins.
I hope the cleaning of the tower has not erased the message that I left at the top. (can't remember what I wrote now, but it shure would not have been my name!)

John (with 100 posts up)

well i know acouple of lads who tried to climb it and i think did it.....may have included in that a couple of lads who happen to have climbed something much bigger than the water tower

Great Plum · Post by **Great Plum** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:42 am

I believe the tanks were taken out - but they would have had to put something else inside... it would make an interesting flat conversion!

J.R. · Post by **J.R.** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:01 am

Great Plum wrote:I believe the tanks were taken out - but they would have had to put something else inside... it would make an interesting flat conversion!

..... and probably VERY expensive with that view !!

AndrewH · Post by **AndrewH** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:56 am

J.R. wrote:
Great Plum wrote:I believe the tanks were taken out - but they would have had to put something else inside... it would make an interesting flat conversion!
..... and probably VERY expensive with that view !!

What view (not many windows!)

John Knight · Post by **John Knight** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 12:38 pm

Great Plum wrote:I believe the tanks were taken out - but they would have had to put something else inside... it would make an interesting flat conversion!

If I remember correctly the tanks were supported on spanwise RSJ's with a couple of feet (60.96cm ugh!) clearance around the sides from the brick wall.
So I don't think they would have needed to put anything in place of the tanks.
You could build a very nice 'Penthouse' at the top.

J.R. · Post by **J.R.** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 12:47 pm

AndrewH wrote:
J.R. wrote:
Great Plum wrote:I believe the tanks were taken out - but they would have had to put something else inside... it would make an interesting flat conversion!
..... and probably VERY expensive with that view !!
What view (not many windows!)

.... There's always those famouse Sussex builders....

'Bodgitt & Runn'

or.....

'Connem & Leggett'

kerrensimmonds · Post by **kerrensimmonds** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:13 pm

A couple of weeks ago I saw an advertisement for an extremely unusual City of London residence - something like 3.5M - guess what.... it is the tower of Christ Church, Newgate Street. It looked exactly the same as in the old CH engravings.

AndrewH · Post by **AndrewH** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:30 pm

John Knight wrote:with a couple of feet (60.96cm ugh!)

Don't!

I once had the data on a sensor that claimed to have 304.8mm +/- 25.4mm of cable attached!

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